Joe Theismann changed the pronounciation of his name. Theismann (pronounced THEES-min) became Theismann (THIGHS-min). It was part of a gimmick to get Heisman Trophy voters to think of the rhyming last name. It didn't work, Theismann finished second to Jim Plunkett.

Karim Abdul-Jabbar (Sharmon Shah). http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/21854/Karim-Abdul-Jabbar; In college he changed his name to Karim Abdul-Jabbar. The NBA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sued and won a lawsuit forcing him to remove "Abdul-Jabbar" from his jersey on the grounds that he was profiting off someone else's identity. His current legal name is Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar.